


All In A Dream - Warriors AU

by Eazbeaz, GalacticGale



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: AU, Dream AU, First person death, Joint project, Kittypets (Warriors), LGBT Cats (Warriors), LGBTQ Character, M/M, Panic Attacks, Trigger warnings:, Warriors AU, first person dying, t/first person death, t/first person dying, t/panic attack, t/panic attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 19:31:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19257724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eazbeaz/pseuds/Eazbeaz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticGale/pseuds/GalacticGale
Summary: After the Final Battle between the Clans, StarClan, and the Dark Forest, Firestar's victory is taken away from him in more ways than one. After dying from his wounds and a falling, flaming tree, he expects to wake up in StarClan.However, the exact opposite happens, and after denial, Firestar- or Rusty, realizes that his entire life in the Clans has all been a dream, and he struggles to not only accept that, but to continue on with his normal kittypet life, knowing that all this time, the Clans and the friends he made along the way, were all fake.





	All In A Dream - Warriors AU

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> Panic Attack  
> First Person Death  
> Otherwise it should be good. Tell me if I need to add anything!

Chapter One

****

"You lived like a rogue, you can die like a rogue!"

Firestar lunged at the dark brown tabby tom he was facing off against, claws extended. Before his enemy could think or react, the flame coloured tom was already on top of him, pinning him down. Growling, Firestar lowered himself and sank his teeth into the brown tabby's neck, holding him down while he thrashed around as his life--or rather, lack thereof--was slowly being torn away from him.

After a few moments, the brown tabby tom stopped moving, and Firestar got off of him. Blood was leaking from the dead cat's throat from where he was bitten, running over Firestar's paws. He panted, knowing that the dark tabby would be gone for good this time.

_ Tigerstar is dead. He really, finally is. _

Firestar looked out at the cats watching,  _ They’ll be safe. Sandstorm. Greystripe. My kits…  _

He could see Sandstorm’s shining green eyes light up, looking so very happy for the first time in what seemed like forever.

He could only rejoice in this moment for a few seconds, though, as suddenly in the corner of his eye there was a sharp flash of light. He whirled around, only seeing that the fallen beech tree beside him had burst into flames for just a second before he was enveloped in smoke.

He choked, feeling hardly able to breathe and the breaths he could take were stolen and burned his lungs. It was so hot, so very very overwhelmingly hot. He could feel the skin under his fur warm up, the fur on his body seeming like so many wicks, lit up and getting closer and closer to his sensitive, soft pink skin. 

But it was what happened after that made him yearn for that feeling of- well- just feeling anything, as he grew lightheaded. Maybe it was the air-deprivation. Maybe it was the smoke he was inhaling. Maybe it was because-

The edge of his vision grew spotty, and his eyes were hurting so bad from staying open even though there was smoke. He squeezed his eyes shut, but could still see those spots. He tried to cry, talk, scream, but nothing came out, and when he opened his mouth, it immediately filled with smoke- that disgusting, intrusive thing. He choked on it, felt it clog up his mouth, then his throat, then his lungs. The light-headedness got worse, causing him to collapse on his side.

He felt the pool of still-hot, sticky blood from Tigerstar wet the flank he had fell on. 

He felt like the blood had also rosen up along his open-wide, drooling jaw and slipped in, as a terrible metallic taste filled his throat, and he choked up something.

_ No…  _ Was the only thought that could cross his mind before it all went black.

He heard the distant cries of Sandstorm, sounding so far away. Fading away…

****

\---

****

The next thing he saw was… familiar. Nostalgic. 

_ What…?  _ he thought, opening his eyes further. What he saw was… walls. A cream color, with a couple of doors-

Wait.

His eyes opened further, and he looked around. So  _ familiar _ . Why was he in a twoleg home?  _ This can't be what StarClan is, right? _

And that was the moment he realized.

_ This isn’t- this isn’t a random twoleg home- _

__ _ This is-  _ was _ \-  _ my _ home! _

__ He shot up from the bed- and when doing so, realized the soft, light purple bed he had been laying on- and looked around.

His food bowl-  _ former  _ food bowl- was across the floor from him, sitting there so casually, so normally filled to the brim with the pebbles of food he so clearly remembered.

He was shaking, Firestar realized. He still remembered that feeling of smoke clogging his throat, stinging his eyes, his lungs-

He shuddered, before looking up and getting out of the bed.  _ Maybe- maybe before I go to StarClan, I’m seeing the earlier moments of my life.  _ Before  _ I joined ThunderClan. _

__ Firestar padded over to the full food bowl, staring at it for a moment. He certainly didn't  _ feel _ hungry, especially not for Twoleg food that tasted like nothing compared to the prey in the forest.

So instead, he headed out for the cat door that led out to his old garden. Much to his surprise, he managed to fit through the door perfectly, just like he did when he was still a kittypet. He dismissed the thought, however.  _ Again, StarClan's probably showing me earlier memories of my life. _

__ _ But then why do I feel so... in control of the situation? _

__ _ They're probably letting me experience it all over again. Myself. _

__ As Firestar stepped outside, all the familiar sights and scents from when he used to live in Twolegplace hit him all at once. He leaped onto the fence, steadying himself for a moment as he did so before turning around the best he could to overlook as much as he could see of Twolegplace.

What he saw… bothered him. While he expected it all to be an unfamiliar, faraway memory, it was so clearly in his mind- he felt he had seen that flower patch only yesterday, sat on this white fence just recently. 

As he looked over the gardens, a thought occurred to him.

_ Will I see- will I see Smudge in this- er- memory? _

__ The thought came as he was looking into his friend’s- er- former friend’s- garden.

He saw a flash of white and black fur, eyes flickering over to the tom that now seemed to be approaching him.

“Heya, Rusty.” Smudge purred, leaping up to sit beside him on the fence.

Firestar- no, Rusty, stared at him, expecting his mouth to open and speak itself, as this  _ was _ a memory.

When nothing came out, and Smudge began to look confused, he spoke himself in a rush.

“Oh- Smu- Smudge. Hey…” He stumbled over his words, growing more and more confused as to what was going on.  _ StarClan? What are you doing? _

Smudge frowned, looking worried. “Are you okay?”

Rusty opened and closed his mouth, laughing slightly. “Yeah, of- of course.”

Smudge sighed, shaking his head. He leapt from the fence they had been positioned on into his garden, before beckoning Rusty with a flick of his tail. After a few moments of confused staring, Rusty followed with shaky pawsteps.

The tom lead him to a comfortable patch of flowers, the tips of the grass softly licking at Rusty’s flank as he sat down.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Smudge said, tilting his head and giving his friend- no, former friend- a lopsided frown.

“Yeah, yeah. Yeah…” Rusty spoke with uncertainty.

He didn’t like this control. It didn’t feel like a memory. He’d experienced them before. Here, he was so in control; in memories, he wasn't. Everything was right there. He felt sick. It wasn’t possible… it couldn’t…

“Hey! Hey, Rusty, calm down.” Smudge’s mew was clearly worried, as he rushed to his friend’s side to place a tail on his back reassuringly.

“I’m not Rusty…” he murmured, words a jumble, “I’m not- I’m not a kittypet-”

The distant frantic mews and nudges from Smudge were faraway as he went over everything that had happened. How was he here? How did he seem so much younger? How-  _ How- _

****

That was the moment it hit him like a full-speed monster.

****

He had looked at the forest, but when hearing his housefolk calling for him, leapt off the fence. He went through the grass, approaching the familiar home. 

His housefolk- twoleg- no,  _ housefolk _ \- had reached down, gently rubbing him behind the ears and scratching his back before sending him inside. He had gone to his warm, comfortable bed, made of soft stuffing and a purple outside. He had circled over the soft bedding for a few moments, before settling down, and drifting into peaceful sleep…

No.

****

_ No. _

__ This couldn't be happening. Rusty- Firestar-  _ whoever he was _ , he couldn't believe any moment of it. Not even Smudge's frantic callings of his name were any help to break him out of his trance.

_ StarClan had nothing to do with this. _

__ _ No one did. But the Clans- everyone I met- they  _ have _ to be real! _

__ He suddenly snapped back to reality as Smudge gently shoved him, still calling in his ear. 

“Sm- Smudge- You’re-” He backed away, pawsteps uncalculated.

“Rusty!” His friend called desperately. “Please! Calm down. Whatever is happening- happened- will happen- everything is okay. Okay? Please- come on, you should get some sleep.”

_ Nonono… I can’t do that… This can’t… They were real. _

__ “They were real!” His last thought came out vocally, a desperate almost sob.

Smudge shook his head. “Please.  _ Please _ . Just breath. Okay? Everything is fine. I’m here. Focus on the things around you, can you- please do that. What does that flower look like? Come on, describe it, this is reality. Everything is  _ okay _ .”

Rusty heaved a wheezy breath, before looking at the flower that Smudge had pointed to. “It- it’s yellow…”

“And?” Smudge prompted.

“Light yellow… and there- there are some droplets on the petals. There are little leaves… they have… they have- they have little spiky edges.”

“Go on.” Smudge said softly, laying a tail on his friend’s shoulder.

“The dew drops are glistening… from the light. From the sun…” He glanced at the sun above, narrowing his eyes to look at it without harming himself. “It’s really, really bright. A- a big difference from the rest of the sky… the sky is clear… cloudless…”

He felt his breathing gradually slow down as he continued. “It’s a lovely blue. There’s- there’s the scent of pollen. It is so sweet… I like it…” He felt himself approaching a tall, violet flower, all of his movements subconciously done. “This one smells good… It’s a light purply color. It’s petals have a pretty curl. They’re slightly darker in the middle…”

He could see Smudge smiling, a gentle, comforting smile. He didn’t speak, just let Rusty breathe. There wasn’t a sound other than the chirp of birds, the rustle of leaves and flowers in the wind, and Rusty’s gradually slowing breathing.

“Rusty,” Smudge finally spoke, “I don't know what happened, but I’m sure whatever it was was not good. But panicking isn’t going to help. Come on, if you’re ready.”

The tom padded over to the fence that linked Rusty’s and Smudge’s gardens, leaping up on top of the white fence.

After a few more moments of breathing in and out, noticing every last detail, desperately trying to connect himself with what was happening in the now.

After centering himself, he padded after Smudge, pawsteps still shaky. Smudge shot him a sympathetic look, before helping support him. “You should sleep.”

Rusty breathed in a ragged, slow breath, before letting it out. “You’re probably right.”

The two entered Rusty’s home, squeezing through the small cat flap. Smudge escorted Rusty over to his bed.

Rusty immediately plopped into the bed, curling his tail tightly over his nose.

“I’ll stay here until you fall asleep, okay?” Smudge said, easily fitting into the large purple bed.

Rusty didn’t respond with words, just grunted and twitched. Smudge took that as an agreement, and laid down beside his friend.

Rusty's eyes slowly closed, feeling safe knowing that his friend was beside him.

_ But the others... _

__ It was all still a huge shock. Part of Rusty wondered if falling back asleep would take him back, perhaps even waking up in StarClan with familiar faces, but the other part knew that it was futile to think such things.

_ They're not real. But... how? _

__ His mind was spinning, and just before he was consumed by the darkness of his dreams, or perhaps lack thereof, one thought occured to him.

_ I want to check the forest tomorrow. And... and what's past it, too. _

__ _ Maybe... maybe it's real after all. _

__ A part of him knew he was clinging on to some last desperate wish, but he was too shaken to care.

He was going to give it a try.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is a bit of an odd AU, and we mad it on a whim, but please try to comment.


End file.
